In the three-dimensional (3D) Internet virtual space such as Second Life™ of Linden Research Inc., a virtual world having various characteristic objects and functions is developed by the virtual space provider and the users logging into the virtual space.
In the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) such as Final Fantasy™ Online of Square Enix or Ragnarok Online™ of Gravity Corporation, a wide virtual world is prepared by the provider, allowing the user to enjoy it immediately after the login.
In contrast, in the user-constructed type virtual world such as Second Life, the users construct the virtual world by each providing buildings and/or objects offering various functions on a local virtual space called a “SIM” or an “island”. The collection of these islands constitutes a whole virtual world. The islands are separated by the sea or roads. In the example of Second Life, one SIM or island is usually made up of one server, and has an area of 256 m×256 m in a virtual size in the virtual world. However, the SIMs are clearly different from each other, with a wide variety of buildings constructed therein, objects, purposes of setting up, language used, and others.
In the general Internet environment other than those of the above-described MMORPGs and Second Life where avatars roam within the virtual spaces, a user needs to search using a search engine or click on a document link provided in a document, to reach a desired site. By comparison, in the 3D Internet, each avatar walks within the virtual space or flies and sees from above to find and reach an island the user is interested in. Further, on the way to a certain island, the avatar may see neighboring islands and expand the interest.
In the user-constructed type virtual space, however, the positional relationship between the neighboring islands is determined in accordance with convenience of the provider or the purchasers of the islands, and once determined, the contents of the objects and services in the island are fixed and not changed unless the owner of the island leaves. As such, in the conventional virtual space, it would be difficult for the user to act as an avatar and roam or fly in accordance with the user's feelings and preference to find an interesting island.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-157209 discloses a technique of supporting creation of a home page, in which a town having a certain form of lifestyle is constructed in a 3D virtual space by arranging facilities required for daily life such as financial institutions, medical institutions, shopping malls, recreational facilities, public facilities and the like, the 3D virtual space constituted as a completed island or city is downloaded from a server-side database to a user-side terminal, and the user is allowed to move a character along a virtual road formed in the island to enter and use a desired facility, and also allowed to select or exchange other facilities prepared on the database as required, so that the user can create the home page having an island or town having the form of lifestyle adapted to his/her own taste.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-157253 discloses a system capable of providing related information, based on user's place preference information and area conditions input by the user, in accordance with the possibility of reaching within a reasonable time as well as a physical distance from the place where the information recipient lives or the place that he/she is interested in.
The above-described techniques, however, would not support an avatar wandering in a virtual world to find a partial virtual space or an island suited to his/her interest.